Should've Said
by ShineyStar
Summary: Caught up in a moment, Gabriella and Troy decided to book a spontaneous holiday for the two of them during their senior year. 8 months on, and Gabriella still plans on going - but will she go alone


**I'm baaaaaack. Ok, as I mentioned on my profile, I started to write this story about three weeks ago. The reason why it's taken me so long to write it is because it's my baby and I want to get it perfect. **

**This one-shot is very l-o-n-g, so be warned! Even though it is another angsty romantic one, it's different to my others (I hope). I really would mean a lot to me if you guys reviewed, especially the authors who I really admire and I'm hoping those guys know who they are. **

**So, with out further ado… **

**Should've Said**

_**Eight months ago**_

"_Okay, so how about Canada?" A frustrated seventeen year old Troy Bolton asked as he slumped back against the back of the sofa, a laptop resting on his lap._

"_Ugh. No way. Too cold." Gabriella Montez replied, her nose scrunching up in distaste. "What else is there?" She asked as her best friend rolled his stunning blue eyes at her._

"_Err…" Troy turned back to the computer screen, his eyes searching. "There's Ypres –" Troy's eyebrows furrowed. "Where the hell is that? It doesn't even sound like a real place!" _

"_It's in Belgium, you moron." Gabriella giggled as she stood up from her place on the carpet, stretching her numb legs. "Anything else?" _

"_Gabi, we've been here for hours! We can't book flights if you can't decide where you want to go…you're being too picky." Troy moaned, placing a cushion over his eyes, missing the frustrated look sweeping across Gabriella's face._

"_Troy…please, can we look just for a little longer?" she asked sweetly, pulling her infamous pout, knowing that Troy couldn't resist._

"_No, not the pout!" Troy feigned horror as he covered his face with the cushion again. Hearing Gabriella giggle, he reluctantly lowered the cushion from his face, and sighed in defeat. "Fine…just for a _little_ longer." He grumbled good-naturedly. Gabriella's pouting lips broke out into a radiant smile as she threw herself onto the sofa next to Troy, snuggling into his side. Troy laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pushing the laptop in between them._

"_Okay…so, what other flights are there?" Gabriella queried as she became engrossed with the computer screen that was listing hundreds of possible flights. _

_There wasn't really any reason why Troy and Gabriella were looking at flights – it had just been a spur of the moment. Gabriella had decided that she wanted to go away before their senior year finished, and Troy, loving the idea and also adamant to not allow his best friend to go to a different country by herself, had agreed to go with her._

"_Ooooh…what about Australia?" Gabriella asked gleefully, her eyes lighting up, as she turned to Troy who was casually tracing patterns on her shoulder – something that always managed to make her squirm in delight._

"_Australia? That's cool. A long way though." Troy replied and shook his head in amusement as Gabriella ignored him and clicked for more details about the flight. _

"_Meh. It's only…twenty hours…" Gabriella's eager expression wavered for a minute before she shrugged. "It'll be worth it." She concluded, ignoring the look of horror settling on Troy's face._

"_TWENTY hours?!" He asked incredulously. "You've got to be kidding me!" _

"_Troy, come on. It's not that bad. Look, it stays that we stop for a night. We stay at a hotel then go back to the airport. Simple." Gabriella pressed, pushing the laptop in Troy's direction, proving her point. She watched as Troy read the description before he finally surrendered._

"_Fine. But why Australia?" He asked and an incredulous look settled on Gabriella's face._

"_Err, because of all of the cute kangaroos and koalas?" She replied, as if it was the most obvious thing. _

"_Of course. Because of the cute kangaroos and koalas, how could I be so stupid?" he asked sarcastically as Gabriella glowered at him._

"_It's not just that though. I've always wanted to go to Sydney and climb the harbour bridge – plus, it's where my dad proposed to my mom. Mom said Sydney is so gorgeous." She said, her brandy coloured eyes glistening. "Please."_

"_Ok." Troy surrendered. Damn her gorgeous face – there was no way he would ever be able to say no to her. "Go ahead so we can spend two glorious weeks down under with all the cute kangaroos and koalas." He said and Gabriella beamed again, reaching over to kiss his cheek._

"_Thanks, Wildcat! This will be amazing!" She squealed as she began to book the flight. _

**Present Day**

Gabriella sighed as she pulled the ticket from her school bag. Her flight left tomorrow morning for Australia, and yet somehow, she didn't seem as excited as she thought she would. She knew why though. It was because she knew Troy wasn't going to join her – it wouldn't make sense if he did, after all, they hadn't spoken in seven months.

"Gabs!" Gabriella winced at the squeal but turned nonetheless to face her two best friends, Sharpay and Taylor.

"Hey. What's up?" She asked, as she opened her locker to look for her chemistry book.

"Not much. Just making sure you're gonna be there tomorrow." Sharpay said, typing away on her sidekick.

"Gee, that was specific." Gabriella mumbled, still pushing her books around. "Be where exactly?"

"The party? You know, the one at Sandra's house tomorrow night?" Taylor confirmed as Sharpay seemed to be too engrossed with her ridiculously pink phone to answer.

"Guys, I'm not going to the party. I'm going to Australia tomorrow, for spring break, remember?" she asked, smiling triumphantly as she pulled her chemistry book down from the top shelf of her extremely neat locker.

"Australia?" Sharpay asked sharply, no longer interested in whoever was texting her. "You're _still_ going?" she asked dumfounded, exchanging a confused look with Taylor.

"Yeah. I paid four hundred dollars for my ticket, why wouldn't I go?" Gabriella responded, pulling her ticket from her bag again, and waving it in front of her friend's faces, as if to prove her point.

"Err, maybe because you've got no-one to go with?" Sharpay clarified as it was the most obvious thing, ignoring the sharp nudge she received from Taylor. Gabriella's face fell slightly, but she quickly covered it up, shrugging.

"So? I don't need anyone to go with me. It'll be an adventure." She snapped, shoving her precious ticket into her bag, and quickly slamming her locker closed.

"Gabs, are you sure that's a good idea? I've heard that Australia is quite a big place." Sharpay said sceptically, ignoring the way Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"Jeez, you sound so much like Troy did before he decided to join m–" Gabriella stopped midway through her sentence, her eyes filling with pain. "– It doesn't matter." She continued, hastily averting her eyes from her friends' sympathetic gaze.

"Yeah…but aren't there like loads of penguins in Australia?" Sharpay asked, scrunching her face up in distaste.

"Shar, that's Antarctica." Taylor replied, patting her friend condescendingly on the arm. Sharpay shrugged as the bell rang, signalling homeroom.

"Look guys, come on. Darbus is gonna freak out if we're late." Gabriella said, before rushing off down the corridor, missing the look of confusion and sympathy being exchanged between her two friends.

Were her friends' right? Was it stupid for her to be going to Australia _alone?_ Thoughts ran through Gabriella's mind as she weaved through the dispersing crowds of East High, as all students rushed to their homeroom. As Gabriella approached the door to her homeroom, she silently groaned as she took in the two boys loitering outside the room, leaning casually against the white brick wall. One boy with a ridiculously bushy afro was spinning a basketball on his finger, whilst the other boy with dazzling blue eyes and floppy sandy brown hair was talking animatedly.

Taking a deep breath, Gabriella continued to walk forward towards the door, silently praying that Troy would ignore her, like he usually did. But it didn't seem like that was going to be the case because just before she reached the door, a hard wall of muscle appeared in front of her, blocking the doorway. The sudden movement was too quick for Gabriella to register and she walked straight in to Troy's chest.

Stumbling back instantly, Gabriella looked up to see Troy's eyes on her, filled with amusement.

Troy smirked when Gabriella glared at him, before picking up her bag and pushing past him.

"Jackass." She muttered as she slumped in to her chair. She could already tell that this wasn't going to be a good day. When Taylor and Sharpay arrived into homeroom, Taylor repeatedly sent Gabriella looks of sympathy, as if it would make anything better – but it wasn't. Too be honest, it was starting to become irritating. She didn't need sympathy. She didn't need her friends worrying and talking about her behind her back. It was her decision to go to Australia, and just because the boy she had planned to go with had erased her from his life, didn't mean that she still couldn't go. Gabriella was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed Ms. Darbus sweeping into the room, throwing a colourful shawl over her shoulder as she did so.

"Unless you want to be helping out in the auditorium after school, I suggest you all return to seats!" she barked, sitting into her 'throne' at the front of the room. What a lovely way to start the day, Gabriella thought grimly as they was a sudden flurry of teenagers scrambling for their correct seats.

"Now then," Ms. Darbus continued, eyeing the class over her large glasses, "as seeing as it is the last day of term before your spring break, we're going to enjoy this twenty minutes of homeroom, and talk about what each of you are going to be doing during your well deserved breaks." Upon hearing this, Gabriella sank lower in her chair, not liking the idea one bit. She didn't want to talk about Australia, because it was bound to set Taylor and Sharpay off again – and she didn't want to know Troy's reaction.

There was an excited murmur around the room as students paid more attention to what their teacher was saying – all eager to share or to boast about their much anticipated plans for the break.

"So, who shall we start with?" Ms Darbus said as hands shot up into the air. "Okay…Mr. Danforth?" Ms. Darbus said, ignoring the frantic waving of the other students – instead she picked Chad who was –still– spinning the damn basketball on his finger.

"Err…basketball?" Chad replied, more of a question than an actual answer. Ms Darbus rolled her eyes, not surprised by Chad's answer.

"And what about you Mr Bolton?" she asked, causing Gabriella to straighten up in her chair. Had he forgotten about Australia? Or was he still going?

"Well Ms D, me and the guys are thinking bout heading to the valley with my dad, to do a bit of camping. And of course, I'll be smashing Chad in a game of one-on-one." Troy said, turning to smirk as Chad who was trying to subtly flash him the middle finger. Before turning to face the front, Troy's cobalt eyes swept over to Gabriella, noticing that her mocha brown eyes were glistening with unshed tears. What was that about?

He had forgotten. Completely forgotten. Gabriella wasn't surprised that he had, but it still hurt, a lot. In the back of her mind, she had been hoping that Troy was miraculously come back to her, sorry for the past seven months, and join her for _their_ adventure. But, who was she kidding? Troy had forgotten about her, about their trip that they had planned all those months back. They had even gone as far as booking their hotel – a hotel situated on a beach and their room would undoubtedly have amazing views. But now, just as Gabriella had feared, she was going alone.

"Miss Montez?" Gabriella was so wrapt up in her thoughts that she had been oblivious to her teacher calling for her attention.

"Gabriella!" Gabriella's wet eyes blinked in surprise as she came back to reality. Her cheeks blushed faintly when she realised that everyone in her homeroom had turned in their seats to stare at her. Well, nearly everyone. Troy hadn't turned to look at her; he continued to face forward.

"Miss Montez?" Ms Darbus asked again. "What are your plans?"

"Oh! Um…" Gabriella began, ignoring the looks she was receiving from Sharpay and Taylor; looks that were filled with doubt and confusion. "I'm going to Australia." Gabriella muttered, watching Troy's back immediately become rigid.

"Oh, how lovely!" Ms Darbus exclaimed; pleased that at least one of her students were going to do something worthwhile instead of partying or playing basketball. "Are you going with anybody? Your mother?" she pressed. Gabriella closed her eyes briefly before they locked on the back of Troy's head.

"No. I'm going by myself." She responded, her voice wavering.

"Oh, an adventure!" Ms. Darbus gushed. "Have a wonderful time, Ms. Montez." Gabriella sent her a small smile and watched as Ms Darbus turned away, just as the bell for first period rang. At once, everyone was out of their seats, and hurrying for the door. Gabriella sighed to herself, before standing up, and swept her bag over her shoulder before walking towards the door.

--

Troy watched silently as Gabriella walked from the room.

She was still going. It wasn't like he had forgotten about the trip; Troy just hadn't thought that Gabriella would still want to go – not after what happened between them. But, he was clearly wrong. The flight left tomorrow, bound for Sydney; a flight that he was supposed to be on. Troy sighed deeply, running a hand over his face, before he swiftly turned the corner, heading towards the gym. Screw first period – he seriously needed to think, and basketball was the only choice.

--

The day flew by quickly. Gabriella hadn't seen Troy since homeroom, and frankly, she was glad. She didn't want to have some awkward confrontation with him that would most likely end up with her in tears. That's how most conversations with him ended; he just never knew. Gabriella would make sure the Troy was well out of hearing distance before she would allow the tears to flow.

"Gabs?" Gabriella felt a soft hand on her shoulder, and she turned to see her composer-friend, Kelsi, standing next to her. "You okay?" she asked, worried about her friend who had been staring at her locker in silence for the last five minutes.

"What? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." Gabriella replied, giving Kelsi a small smile, hoping it would ease her worry.

"Okay. You just seem sorta down that's all." Kelsi said, watching as Gabriella just shrugged.

"No, I'm fine. Just waiting for the day to end, y'know?" She said and Kelsi nodded her head.

"Yeah. Jason is coming round for dinner…what about you? Have you finished your packing?" She asked, and Gabriella smiled a little. This is what she liked about Kelsi; she knew when Gabriella didn't want any sympathy.

"Almost." Gabriella grinned. "Just got a few things left. I think I've packed almost my entire wardrobe." She giggled for the first time all day as she finally opened her locker to pick up her books that were needed for her final lesson. Kelsi smiled at her before she checked her watch.

"Shoot. I'm gonna be late." She mumbled. "Look Gabs, I've gotta go. But if I don't see you before, have an awesome time in Australia. You deserve it." Kelsi hugged her friend warmly before pulling away.

"Thanks Kels." Gabriella said before picking up her bag. "I'll see you soon, okay?" Kelsi smiled and nodded, before giving a final wave, she turned and ran down the emptying corridor. Gabriella sighed gently and turned in the opposite direction.

Pausing outside her classroom, Gabriella bit her bottom lip gently. She didn't feel like going inside; not when she had to sit next to Taylor who was bound to grill her about Australia. Closing her eyes briefly, Gabriella turned away, and walked down the empty corridor, heading towards her secret solace; the gym. It hadn't always been her sanctuary but whenever Gabriella had watched Troy playing basketball, he was always so relaxed, so composed. She wanted to feel like that now. Even though she couldn't play very well, Gabriella usually found herself in front of the net on the empty court, with a basket ball in her hands.

Coming to a halt outside the gym, Gabriella pressed her ear against the door to make sure it was empty. Smiling when she couldn't hear anything, she pulled open the heavy door and walked inside. She dumped her bag by the empty bleachers along with her jacket, and picked up a lone ball that unbeknownst to her, was the one Troy had left earlier.

Gabriella slipped off her shoes and walked down to the end of the court, pausing when she was within shooting distance of the hoop. She hesitantly bounced the ball once on the hard shiny floor then, taking a deep breath, she bent her knees, remembering what Troy had taught her, and then pushed her arms outwards, releasing the ball from her fingertips. Gabriella watched in satisfaction as the ball soared through the hoop.

"_Gabs, I promise I won't laugh at you." Troy_ _coaxed as Gabriella stood standing with her arms crossed at the edge of the basketball court in Troy's back garden._

"_Oh sure you won't, Mr I'm-so-brilliant-at-shooting-a-ball-through-a-hoop." Gabriella huffed, glaring at Troy who laughed slightly._

"_Oh please. You know I wouldn't laugh at you. You're the one who always complains that you're rubbish at playing ball – but if you would just come over here, I will teach you." Troy said, rolling his eyes when Gabriella shook her head stubbornly. Sighing gently, Troy dropped the ball and strode over to where Gabriella was standing. Standing in front of her, Troy placed both of his hands on her crossed arms, pulling them gently, so that they broke apart from each other. Gabriella's breath hitched slightly as Troy ran his hands up and down her arms, unknowingly causing her to melt on the inside at his touch._

"_Please Gabi. Let me do this for you." Troy asked gently. He was standing so close to her, that she could feel his warm, tempting breath on her cheek. Gabriella looked into his ocean blue eyes, and saw that they were twinkling with sincerity. Damn his amazing eyes, Gabriella thought silently, before sighing in defeat._

"_Fine." She mumbled. "But if you laugh at me, I'm walking." She muttered good naturedly. Troy's smile nearly caused Gabriella's knees to buckle and she was sure that if Troy hadn't been holding her arms, she would have fallen to the ground. Troy let go of her arms but held one of her hands, their fingers enlacing and pulled her onto the court, leading her towards the net. _

_Gabriella hesitantly accepted the ball that Troy had passed to her. Cautiously, Gabriella bounced it a couple of times before turning to face the hoop properly. Squaring her shoulders and taking a quick look to her left to see Troy watching her intently, she swallowed before bending her knees and then letting the ball fly from her hands. They both watched in silence as the ball soared through the air before hitting the rim of the net and rebounding off of it._

_Gabriella let out a small groan before running to catch the ball. She returned to her previous spot to face the net again._

"_Let me show you, Gabs." Troy broke the silence and just as Gabriella was going to protest, she gasped as she felt Troy's muscular chest pressing against her back and his strong arms winding around her waist. Gabriella closed her eyes blissfully at the warmth that was spreading through her body, leaving a tingling sensation everywhere. She took a tiny step backwards, so that her back was pressed completely against Troys chest. Why did this feel so good? Her little movement did not go unnoticed by Troy, and he simply pulled her tighter against him, grinning softly against her cheek._

"_Okay, now, first of all, you need to bring the ball down, so that it is just past your nose," he whispered in her ear, causing her shiver noticeably, "and this hand," he curled his big hand around her dainty left wrist, "is your guiding hand. It doesn't do very much so just let it relax." He felt Gabriella nod her head slightly – he took this second to breathe in her amazing scent. _

"_Now what?" she asked, her voice no more than a mere whisper._

"_Just bend your knees and shoot." Troy concluded, before stepping back slightly, to allow her to move. Gabriella missed his warmth immediately but took a shaky breath before bending her knees again and then releasing the ball; watching this time as it flew through the air gracefully. Gabriella held her breath was the ball bounced on the rim twice before falling through the net. _

_A grin broke out on her face and she turned to face Troy who wearing a similar expression. She lifted her arms triumphantly in the air, before she was swept up in Troys strong arms. Gabriella giggled as Troy span her around, chanting victoriously. _

"_Troy!" she squealed. "Put me down!" Troy continued to spin her before he lost his footing and tumbled to the ground, pulling Gabriella down with him._

"_Ow!" Troy landed on top of Gabriella causing her arm to jolt up in shock, and elbow him in the stomach._

"_Nice move, Wildcat." Gabriella mumbled as Troy made no move to get off of her. Instead, he groaned and let his head fall and rest in the crook of her neck, burying his head in her ebony curls. Gabriella blushed at the intimacy of the move, but said nothing. She brought her arms and wrapped them around his torso. After a few moments of blissful silence, Gabriella could feel Troy breathing lightly against her neck, and for a moment, she thought he might have fallen asleep._

"_You better not fall asleep on me, Bolton." She said playfully, poking him in the side. Troy said nothing but sighed deeply against her neck and Gabriella nearly moaned at the sensation of his hot breath warming the sensitive skin._

_They had always cuddled when they watched films, but this was new. It was more intimate. Troy was _on top_ of her, holding her tightly and for some reason, this did not feel weird or awkward. It felt nice, it felt…right?_

_The two continued to lay in silence for a few moments longer before they heard someone calling out to them._

"_Are you two alright?" Lucille Bolton called from the doorway. Gabriella jumped slightly at the sudden noise that broke through her blissful bubble and Troy groaned against her neck before leaning up and turning his head towards his mother who was watching them both curiously._

"_We're fine, Mom." He said before looking down at Gabriella with an unreadable expression on his face._

"_Well, okay," Lucille continued, "but you'd better come inside, your dinner is almost ready, and it's freezing out here!"_

_Troy nodded at his mother and stood up. He then reached down and helped Gabriella stand up, lacing their fingers as he did so. Gabriella blushed lightly as she followed Troy into the warm kitchen. Her mind was whirring; why had it all felt so perfect with Troy just then? Gabriella couldn't shake the feeling of him breathing on her neck and holding her so intimately. She wanted more, but did he?_

Gabriella sighed at the memory as she watched the ball sail through the net for the fifth time. Why had she not said anything that day? Maybe if she had, they would have escalated from best friends to being something more. Gabriella knew that she loved…loves him, but she was never sure if he felt the same – well she was now. He hated her.

"Montez, you need to leave." A cold voice made her jump a mile before she turned around and came face to face with the boy she had been thinking about.

"What? Oh uh…why?" she asked. She watched as Troy raised his eyebrows amusedly and suddenly felt like an idiot as she realised what he was wearing.

"Right, you've got practice." She mumbled, taking in his red Wildcats uniform. Troy rolled his dazzling blue eyes and watched as Gabriella dropped the ball to the floor, before slipping on her shoes.

"Why are you here anyways?" He asked, and Gabriella picked up the ball again before walking towards him.

"Because, I was told that basketball was a good thing to do if you needed to think." She snapped, watching as Troy's eyes darken – knowing that she was referring to him.

"And what did you need to think about, Montez?" he asked, his voice dangerously low; as if her was daring her to continue.

"About…oh, like you care what I'm thinking about, Bolton." Gabriella hissed and thrust the ball into his chest, before walking back to the bleachers to pick up her jacket – a jacket, Troy noticed, that once belonged to him – and bag.

"You're right, I don't care. But I am curious." He replied, his tone still low, and he took one step closer to her.

"Too bad, Bolton. I'm pretty sure you can guess what I am thinking about though." Gabriella said, as she pulled on her jacket, before beginning to walk to the doors. There was a silence, but just as Gabriella reached the doors, Troy finally spoke.

"Why are you still going?" He asked, his voice still low but there was a slightly confused edge in it. Gabriella froze with her hand on the door, before turning once again to face him. She walked back towards him, stopping when she was mere inches in front of him.

"Because, it's important to me; and you of all people should know that I don't give up on things that are important to me." She whispered, her eyes slowly filling with tears no matter how much she tried to keep her emotions at bay. Troys eyes darkened menacingly to a stormy dark blue.

"I guess I wasn't important enough to you then – you gave up on me." He replied coldly, and was shocked to see Gabriella's mouth frown in confusion.

"What do you mean? How could you _possibly_ think that?" Gabriella's voice trembled as she looked Troy straight in the eyes. "Troy, I've known you for over ten years – how could you possibly not know how much I loved you?!" She froze. She hadn't meant to say that much. She watched in deafening silence as Troy's face froze also, his eyes now glistening with something she couldn't work out. Anger? Tears?

"You loved me?" he asked quietly, his own voice beginning to tremble. Gabriella let out a frustrated sigh.

"Isn't it fucking obvious?!" she exclaimed, her voice becoming louder with hysteria. "I still do! How could you not have seen that, Troy?" She was blinking back tears furiously now, refusing to let them fall.

"I – uh – how long?" Troy asked, unable to believe what he was hearing.

"On some level, all the time I guess…but since I was fifteen." Gabriella replied, her voice a mere whisper. Troys eyes widened in shock before he let loose.

"You liked me for three fucking years and didn't say anything?!" his voice thundered around the empty gym, causing Gabriella to shrink back slightly.

"I couldn't!" she exclaimed, her tears begging to allow them to fall. "I didn't want to ruin the friendship we had, Troy. I had no idea if you felt the same way!" Gabriella winced slightly when Troy laughed harshly.

"How could _you_ not know that I loved you, and have done for as long as I can remember?!" he asked through gritted teeth. Gabriella no longer cared about keeping her tears at bay, and she allowed them to fall rapidly down her soft cheeks.

"You can't say that Troy – not now. Not after all of this time." Her voice was trembling more now, and she knew she had to get out of there before she broke down completely.

"Why not?" Troy demanded. "This may be the only time, Gabriella." He said, and watched at Gabriellas glistening eyes slammed shut in pain.

"Because…I – you – we hate each other." She replied, her lower lip trembling as her salty tears continued to cascade down her cheeks. "And it'll only make things worse…knowing what could have been."

"What could've been?" Troy asked although he was pretty sure what she meant; he just wanted to hear her say it.

"We could have been together, Troy. You know that." Gabriella whispered before taking a resolute step backwards. "I have to go." She mumbled before turning on her heels, and taking shaky steps to the door.

"Gabriel –" Troy began to say but she didn't hear the rest. The doors slammed shut behind her, leaving her in an empty corridor. She took a shaky breath before glancing down at her watch. 2:30 pm. School finished in half and hour and Gabriella really couldn't face being here for any longer. She needed to get away. Adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder, Gabriella turned sharply to the left, and strode down the corridor in silence, her footsteps echoing around the desolate corridors. She pushed open the main doors harshly and didn't stop walking until she was sitting safely in her car. Sighing a shaky breath, she leaned forward and slumped her head against the steering wheel, allowing fresh tears to take over her completely.

--

Troy stood staring at the door Gabriella had just walked out of. Did that just happen? Did Gabriella just confess that she had loved him and _still_ did? No, surely not. But as Troy replayed their argument in his mind, he could feel his heat aching as Gabriella said those forbidden words. She loved him. He loved her. How could they both have been so blind? If they hadn't been so naïve, they could have been together; a couple.

Groaning in frustration, Troy rubbed a hand through his already dishevelled hair, before he sprung into action. He dropped the forgotten ball in hand, and sprinted to the doors and out to the corridor. Gabriella was long gone by now. Without hesitating, Troy ran down the empty corridor, not caring about the fact that he was walking away from a basketball practice for the first time in two years.

Skidding to a halt in the car park of East High, Troy noticed that Gabriella's car was gone. Turning to the left, Troy ran down the rows of cars before he arrived at his truck. Throwing the door open, Troy climbed in, and turned on the ignition. The truck roared into life, and Troy threw it into reverse, before speeding away from the school. He didn't know where he was going, but he had to get away, he had to think.

--

Gabriella sat at the top of her favourite hill in the park, watching a father walking along with a little girl swinging on his hand, laughing hysterically. Gabriella sighed. That had been her once; walking with her father and her mother; giggling as she watched Troy repeatedly fall off of his bike.

Whenever Troy had injured himself, he always had the cheek to ask Gabriella to kiss it better; but she always did. It was something that didn't feel awkward between them– they often kissed; never on the lips, but always on the cheek, forehead, hand, or wherever. It was just something they did.

Shivering slightly, Gabriella wrapped her coat tighter around her petite form, before she slowly stood up, brushing off the dirt as she did so. Shivering again, she turned around and slowly walked down the hill, towards her parked car. Gabriella sat in silence before finally deciding it was time to go home.

As she pulled into her driveway, Gabriella reluctantly noticed that her mother's car was not there, and all of the lights in the house were off.

"Perfect." Gabriella mumbled. That's just what she needed; her mother to be at work when she needed her. Sighing, Gabriella opened her car door and quickly walked to the front door of her house. Groaning in frustration, Gabriella finally fished out her keys, and managed to unlock the door. The door swung open and Gabriella immediately swept inside, slamming the door behind her. She walked over to the table beside the stairs to place her keys and bag there. Gabriella sighed when she saw a little pink post-it note resting rest to a pen. She picked it up; already knowing who is was from.

_Mija,_

_Sorry I couldn't be here when you got home; the hospital rang_

_and I had to go in. I'm not going to be home until tomorrow_

_morning – so I won't get to see you before you leave_

_for the airport. _

_You know I am not a big fan of your trip, but I know that you've got_

_your mind set on going, so just be careful baby, and have a good time;_

_You deserve it. _

_Love you baby,_

_Mom x x x_

Gabriella smiled a little before placing the note down again. Her mother worked at Albuquerque General Hospital, along with Troy's mother, Lucille. They were best friends just like Gabriella and Troy were…had been. Lucille often came round for tea and the two of them always had a good time.

Turning again, Gabriella slowly climbed the stairs towards her room. Walking into her usually tidy room, Gabriella took in the untidy suitcase at the bottom of her bed, its contents sprawled about messily; before slumping down on her bed. She snuggled into her pillows before she glanced at her headboard, feeling a pang of sadness at what she saw.

_Troy + Gabs BMFL_

_x x x x _

Troy had etched that into her headboard with her compass on one of their many and frequent movie-nights. Gabriella lightly ran her fingertip over the groove before her hand dropped uselessly to her side again.

Forcing herself not to cry again, Gabriella rolled onto her side to face her balcony. She could see the sky growing darker, and Gabriella knew that she had to continue packing before it got too late. But as she attempted to sit up, Gabriella found her body protesting with tiredness, and Gabriella flopped back down. She shut her tender eyes and decided that a few hours sleep wasn't really a big deal.

"_Right Montez, as seeing as you chose the film last time, I get to pick this one." Troy watched as Gabriella rolled her eyes before flopping down onto her side of the bed. _

"_Whatever, Wildcat. But I refuse to watch anything that involves brutal murder, gore and screaming girls that are being cut into teeny pieces. Comprende?" she said, watching as Troy pretended to sulk._

"_Oh sure, take all the fun away." He mumbled before grinning at her. Gabriella felt her heart leap and her insides melt as he –without realising- sexily flipped the hair from his eyes, and placed a DVD into the player. Gabriella only came from her trance as she felt Troy settle next to her._

"_So Wildcat, what are we watching?" she asked playfully as she reached over to the bedside table to pick up the huge bowl of popcorn._

"_Uh…" Troy forgot how to speak when he 'accidentally' watched Gabriella's top rise slightly, exposing the supple skin of her hip. "…From Hell." He finally said and Gabriella glared at him._

"_Troy!" she exclaimed, thwacking him on the arm. "That has got murder, gore and girls being ripped into pieces in it!" Troy grinned at her teasingly._

"_I know." He said. "But if it gets too scary for you - I'll protect you." He said in mock serious, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, winking as he did so._

"_You're an ass." Gabriella said but snuggled into his side nonetheless. _

"_That may be so, but you still love me." Troy responded casually, not realising just how true that statement was. Oblivious to the blush that had erupted on Gabriella's cheeks, Troy slowly began to trace patterns on her shoulder, grinning when he felt her squirm._

_Gabriella's mother had gone out to dinner with Troy's parents and so, Troy and Gabriella had seen this as an excuse to have another movie night, making it the third in one week. _

_About an hour into the film, Gabriella reached over and paused the film, receiving a sputtered protest from Troy._

"_I'm getting a drink, idiot." She said in response to his glare. _

"_Oh. Get me one too." He replied, and rolled his eyes when Gabriella stared pointedly at him._

"_Please." He amended and Gabriella smiled cheekily before rolling off the bed and walking to the door, leaving Troy alone. _

_Normally, whenever Gabriella left Troy alone in her room, he used to take this time to snoop, but when he was fourteen, he had been repelled from the idea when he came across her draw of 'woman necessities'. _

_So instead, he leaned over and picked up Gabriella's pencil case from the bedside table before unzipping it. The first thing he saw was her compass. Excellent. Grinning, he plucked it from the pencil case, before shifting onto his side to face the headboard. Casting a quick glance towards the door, Troy began to scrape the point of the compass into the surface of the headboard. He had just finished writing the final letter before Gabriella reappeared with two mugs of steaming hot chocolate._

"_What are you doing, moron?" she asked and laughed when Troy jumped a mile, his face genuinely shocked._

"_Shit!" he exclaimed as his hand slipped, and the point of the compass came into contact with his left hand, drawing a thick line of blood. "That fucking hurts!" he yelled again as Gabriella placed the mugs down on the bedside table, and then carefully taking his left hand in both of hers._

"_Ouch. That looks bad. C'mon, I'll get you plaster." She said, and guiding him by his good hand, down the stairs and into the kitchen. Sitting on the granite worktop, Troy watched as Gabriella fumbled through the cupboards, looking for the box of plasters._

"_How the fuck can a compass cut so badly? It's tiny!" he exclaimed as Gabriella brandished a box of plasters victoriously before walking over to him._

"_What the hell were you even doing with my compass to begin with?" she asked softly as she looked for a plaster big enough to cover the cut on Troy's hand._

"_Nothing." Troy grinned at her, telling her he had been doing something but he won't tell her what. Gabriella rolled her eyes again, as she carefully placed a plaster on his hand, pressing down gently._

"_There we are." She smiled brightly before stepping backwards and tidying away. Troy smiled softly as he watched her move around the kitchen, talking animatedly. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, and Troy's soft smile turned into a boyish grin._

"_Hey Gabs?" he called, and Gabriella stopped and turned around._

"_Yeah?"_

"_My hand still really hurts…" he pretended to pout but his cobalt eyes were twinkling mischievously, and Gabriella immediately knew what he was trying to do._

"_Really, Wildcat? I thought a seventeen year old guy would be tough enough for a little cut." She said but moved towards him, smiling cheekily._

"_Yeah, but this REALLY hurts." He said, grinning even more when Gabriella stopped in between his legs, smiling at him with a knowing expression._

"_Well, what do you want me to do about it?" She teased. "I can get you some painkillers if you want…" Troy rolled his eyes and lifted his hand up to her face. _

"_Kiss it better." He pouted, reminding Gabriella of when they were both seven, and Troy had just cut his arm rollerblading. Gabriella giggled before rolling her brandy coloured eyes that were dancing with humour. _

"_You're impossible, Bolton." She said, but dutifully bent her head slightly, pressing a short tender kiss to his hand. Troy closed his eyes blissfully at the impact before opening his eyes and looking at Gabriella who was watching him, a smile playing on her lips._

"_Better?" she asked, cheekily and laughed when Troy winked at her._

"_Much." He replied. "Thanks, Gabs."_

It was the ringing of her cell phone that woke Gabriella from her doze. Mumbling, she rolled over, and blindly searched for her phone. When her hand clasped around it, she sat up and flipped it open, pressing it against her ear.

"Hello?" she said sleepily.

"_Honey? Were you sleeping?" _The sound of her mother's voice woke Gabriella up properly.

"Mom? Is everything alright?" she asked. Her mother only rang during her shift it there was a problem.

"_No, sweetie. Everything's fine. I'm just ringing to let you know that Lucille will be over shortly to pick up a cooking dish."_ Gabriella rubbed her tired eyes as she took in what her mom was saying.

"Mmm. Which one?" she asked, stifling a yawn as she did – glancing at the alarm clock: 4:15 pm.

"_The big blue one that I keep in the cupboard next to the fridge." _Maria replied, and Gabriella nodded in understanding.

"Ok, Mom. Anything else?"

"_No, baby, that's it." _Maria replied. _"Listen, I've got to go now. Have a lovely trip, baby."_ Gabriella smiled slightly; although her mom didn't approve, she made it known that she still wanted Gabriella to have a good time.

"Thanks, Mom. I love you."

"_Love you too, mija. Bye."_

"Bye, Mommy." The line went dead, and Gabriella slumped back down onto her bed, but groaned in frustration when the doorbell went.

--

Troy had been driving around the neighbourhood for the last hour or so, trying to gather his thoughts. The buzzing of his phone on the passenger sit next to him broke his thoughts, and he leant over to answer it.

"Talk to me."

"_Hey, sweetie. I need a favour."_ Troy chuckled slightly.

"Hey Mom. Yeah, my day has been great, thanks for asking." He replied sarcastically, grinning when his mother laughed on the other end.

"_I'm sorry, sweetie. How was your day?" _Troy could hear the smile in his mother's voice, and rolled his eyes.

"Mom, I was only messing. What's up?"

"_I need you to pick up something from Maria's house. I thought I could do it, but I've just been called to the hospital – I'm on the way now."_ Troy's smile disappeared.

"Maria's house? As in Maria _Montez?_" he asked incredulously.

"_Yes, how many other Maria's do I know?" _His mother replied, and Troy groaned.

"But, Mom, that's Gabriella's house."

"_You don't think I know that? Sweetie, I know you don't want to, but I wouldn't ask you unless I needed you to."_ Lucille sounded sincere and sorry. Troy sighed.

"Fine, I'll do it. What am I going for?" he asked, and rolled his eyes when he heard his mother cheer.

"_Aww, thanks sweetie. You're picking up a cooking dish." _

"A dish?! You're making me go there for a _dish_?!" Troy asked incredulously once again. He could literally hear his mother roll her eyes.

"_Yes, Troy. It's for your dinner – so you either go and get it, or go hungry tonight." _Lucille responded coolly, but Troy could hear the humour laced in her voice.

"Fine. I'll get the damn dish." Troy said, making a quick left, turning down the road that would lead to Gabriella's street.

"_Thank you, sweetie. I'll see you tonight."_

"Yeah, yeah. Bye, Mom". Troy flipped his phone closed and threw it onto the seat next to him.

Five minutes later, he was in front of Gabriella's house – for the first time in nearly eight months. Sighing deeply, he turned off the engine, and threw open the door to his truck before jumping down. Walking up the path towards the front door, Troy took in the surroundings, noticing that everything still looked comforting and familiar. Now standing in front of the door, Troy hesitated before ringing the doorbell. He knew Maria was working, as she and his mom often worked the same shifts. This meant that it was just Gabriella at home. Oh god.

This was going to be even more awkward that it would have been if it had been in normal circumstances – and not after a huge argument in the gym where both Troy and Gabriella had screamed at each other, and confessed their love for one another.

Moments passed before the door suddenly opened and broke Troy from his thoughts. He lifted his head to see Gabriella standing there, wearing one of his old wildcat t-shirts and a pair of small white shorts; her face soft with sleep before she registered what was happening and her brown eyes widened and her face turned completely shocked.

"My mom said your mom was gonna pick it up." She whispered after a minute of tense silence. Her face flushed as she tried to hide behind the door, to cover her exposed legs.

"Yeah well, my mom got called to the hospital and asked me to come and get it." Troy replied coolly, seeing Gabriella's mouth form a small 'o'.

"Okay…errm…wait here then." She said, before turning and swiftly walking down the hallway towards the kitchen. Troy rolled his eyes, but stepped inside anyway, and sat on the bottom step of the stairs.

Everything looked the same as it did when he was last here. The small table was still by the stairs, and from what he could see from where he was sitting, the living room looked the same as well.

A sudden crash broke the silence of the house, and Troy heard a loud curse coming from the kitchen.

"Shit!" Gabriella's voice penetrated the silence, and Troy immediately sprang to his feet, and ran to the kitchen to see Gabriella standing by the fridge, her eyes wide, and her bare feet surrounded by broken blue pottery. Troy couldn't help but smirk as he leant against the doorway.

"Still as clumsy as ever, I see." He said, and smirked when Gabriella scowled at him.

"Shut up and help me." She replied, taking a step to the side but shrieked when she felt a sharp piece of pottery stab the bottom of her foot. "Ow! Ow! _Ow!_" she shrieked again, as she accidentally placed her foot back down, pressing the sharp piece in further as well as more pieces. Her foot began to bleed thickly, and Gabriella couldn't stop the tears from welling in her eyes.

"Stop moving!" Troy rushed over to where she was standing.

"Well how the fuck am I meant to get out, dumbass?!" Gabriella responded, her eyes now streaming, as she clutched her foot that was now covered in blood. Troy rolled his eyes at her question, before wrapping his arms around her waist, and lifting her up with ease. Gabriella protested as Troy placed her on the island counter in the middle of the kitchen.

"Now sit there and shut up." Troy ordered before running over to the sink and wetting a piece of cloth before dashing to the cupboard that he remembered was where the plasters were kept.

Gabriella watched him in silence, amazed that he was actually going to help her, and that he also remembered his way around the kitchen. Troy returned to her seconds later, and placed the box of plasters next to her. Gabriella caught the hesitation flash in his eyes, before he picked up her bleeding foot, and began to wipe it with the wet cloth. The moment his fingers touched the heel of her foot, the breath hitched in Gabriella's throat – his hands were just as warm and soft as she remembered. It felt so good. She came so close to shivering in delight as warmth spread throughout her body.

"What are you doing?" Gabriella asked although she already knew, but she was desperate to break the incredibly tense silence.

"What does it look like?" Troy replied stiffly. The look in his eyes made Gabriella fall silent, but seconds later, she yelped in pain, as she felt the sharp splinters of pottery in her foot being pulled out. She held out her hand silently, and Troy immediately placed the blood stained splinters into her hand, so that he could pull the rest out. Gabriella bit her bottom lip silently as she watched Troy. His big hand warmed her entire foot, and made her whole body tingle in a way that she hadn't felt in such a long time. She continued to watch as Troy let go of her foot, before picking up the box of plasters. He pulled out five, and began to place them in the appropriate places on her foot. The feeling of Troy's fingers lightly running across the bottom of the foot caused Gabriella to squirm, and a tiny giggle escaped from her mouth before she had the chance to stop it. Troy's head snapped up to look at her questioningly, before he understood why she had giggled.

"Sorry." He murmured quietly. "I forgot you're ticklish."

Gabriella nodded slightly, and waited in silence for Troy to finish. Minutes later, Troy dropped her foot and straightened up.

"That should do it," he concluded, "just don't get down until I've cleaned up." He said, just as Gabriella began to ease herself off of the counter. She nodded her head and sat back properly. Troy then went to get the dustpan and brush from under the sink to sweep up the shards of pottery.

Ten minutes later, Troy tipped the last pile of pottery into the bin, and turned back to study the floor, to see if he had missed any small pieces. Satisfied with his work, he then returned the dustpan and brush under the sink, and the box of plasters to the cupboard, before turning back to Gabriella who was still perched on the counter.

"Think that's it." He said, his eyes sweeping the floor one final time. Gabriella nodded, and slowly slid herself off the counter, and onto the floor. She carefully placed her foot on the ground, wincing ever so slightly as the hard surface pressed against the tender cuts on the sole of her foot.

"Thanks." She murmured, and Troy nodded his head once.

"Whatever."

"I'm gonna see if we have another dish." Gabriella said, and limped over to the cupboard by the fridge. She then climbed onto the counter top, so she could reach the dishes that were stacked on the highest shelf. Troy watched cautiously, certain that a dish was gonna fall and land on her. He watched with held breath as Gabriella carefully and slowly extracted a white dish and placed it on the side next to her. Troy let out the breath he had been holding as Gabriella climbed off the counter and onto the floor.

"That dish is about the same size as the other one, so it should be ok for whatever your mom is cooking…" Gabriella said, motioning to the white dish that she had just placed on the side. "…maybe she's making her lasagne." She mused as an after thought, knowing that it was Lucille's specialty.

"Well, I can only hope." Troy's voice broke her trail of thought and she looked up to meet his intent gaze. His dark stormy eyes held her deep brown before she tore them away, looking down at her feet. The two stood in awkward silence, before the shrill ringing of the telephone erupted, causing Gabriella to jump and squeak in surprise. Scowling at Troy who was smirking at her, she limped over to the phone.

"Hello?"

"_Hey, baby. It's me again."_

"Hey, Mom. What's up?"

"_It depends. Is Lucille still there?"_

"Lucille never came. She sent Troy instead." Gabriella grumbled darkly, and she scowled when she heard her mother stifle a laugh.

"_Okay then, is Troy still there?" _Gabriella turned her head towards Troy, realising that he was listening with an amused look on his face.

"Yes…unfortunately." She replied and heard her mother laugh again. "Why?"

"_I still have Lucille's jacket that she left here a couple of weeks ago – can you give it to Troy to return?"_

"Yeah, sure. Where is it?"

"_Hanging in my wardrobe – it's the red one." _Gabriella nodded her head, before she remembered that her mother couldn't see her.

"Okay, Mom. I'll give it to him. Anything else?"

"_Nope, that's it. Thank you, baby. Bye!"_

"Bye Mom. Love you." Gabriella returned.

"Bye Maria!" Troy suddenly yelled, grinning when Gabriella rolled her eyes at him. Gabriella heard her mother laughing.

"_Bye Troy! Oh, baby…what time are you leaving for the airport tomorrow? I'm gonna be finished at ten, will you still be here?" _Gabriella cringed at the hopefulness in her mother's voice.

"Sorry, Mom. My flight leaves at eight thirty so I am leaving for the airport at about five o'clock." She said, noticing Troy's features darken immediately, but she chose to ignore it. She felt guiltiness seep through her as she heard her mother sigh in sadness.

"_Okay…I guess I'll just see you when you get back. Have a lovely time, baby. Bye." _Gabriella cringed again as the line died, and she placed the phone onto the counter top. She stared at it for a few seconds, before Troy finally broke the silence.

"What was that about?" Gabriella blinked and lifted her head to look at him.

"Your mom left her jacket here, and I have to give it to you to give back to her." She said as Troy nodded.

"Okay…where is it?"

"Upstairs." Gabriella turned on her heel and swiftly limped down the hall way, pausing at the bottom step when she realised that Troy was following her. Deciding against saying anything that would ruin their…time together, – this was the first time in months that they had actually gone an amount of time without yelling at one another – she bit her lip gently, and began to ascend the stairs. Troy watched her for a second or two, before he slowly followed her. He was so focused on the way her ebony curls cascaded down her back that he didn't notice Gabriella pausing on the landing, and he walked straight into her back, causing them both to stumble slightly. Gabriella turned to face him wearing an amused expression.

"Clumsy much?" she asked, her tone slightly teasing, unable to control it. Troy just shook his head slowly, a small reluctant grin playing on his lips.

"Where's this jacket then?" he asked.

"In my mom's room," Gabriella said, "wait here." She turned on her heel and limped softly to Maria's room. Troy watched her go briefly before he turned his head to the right, his eyes falling up Gabriella's bedroom door, open. Unable to help himself, he walked over, and pushed the door open more, so that he could see her entire room. It looked exactly the same – except from a few little things, and the huge suitcase at the end of her bed, clothes piled inside, some folded neatly, others piled hazardously.

"Which bit of 'wait here' did you not understand?" Gabriella's sudden voice had Troy spinning around; his expression startled before he turned back to his normal cool and composed self.

"Just observing." He shrugged and Gabriella just rolled her eyes, before walking past him, pushing a red jacket into his hands as she did. She sat on her bed, and quickly crossed her legs, pulling her foot closer, and inspecting the damage on the bottom.

Why wasn't he leaving? Gabriella pretended to inspect her foot intently, trying to hide the fact that she was waiting for Troy to make his next move. When she heard a shuffling in the doorway, she looked up, thinking Troy had finally turned around, and gone back downstairs; but was shocked when she saw him walking towards her bed. He leaned against the post on her bed, his arms crossed and his expression thoughtful.

"Don't think too hard, you might hurt yourself." Gabriella couldn't help the words as they erupted from her mouth – it just felt like they were just hanging out, like they always had done, all those months back. She watched timidly, worried that she had over done it, but was pleasantly surprised when Troy rolled his eyes, grinning slightly.

"Thanks, Montez." His tone wasn't as harsh or cold but there was still a slight edge in it. She gave him a small smile, before biting down on her lip. She wanted to ask so desperately, but should she? She needed to know the answer, but she was certain Troy would get mad and leave.

"You know…" Troy's voice broke the silence unexpectedly. Gabriella looked up at him, letting him know that she was listening. "In sophomore year, everybody thought we were dating." Troy said, his words gentle, but his eyes were still harsh. Gabriella nodded her head, knowing what he meant. Throughout the entire sophomore year, and a little part of their junior year, Gabriella had heard rumours that she and Troy were a couple.

"I know." She whispered. "I don't get why though." Troy's eyes darkened a tiny bit more.

"Don't you?" He asked. "It was pretty obvious. We were best friends; we hung out all the time – we even held hands! Everybody thought that it would've made more sense if we had dated." His words were bitter now, angry at what he was saying.

"Did you?" Gabriella's voice was quiet. "I mean, would it of made sense to you if we had dated."

"Yes." Gabriella blinked at Troy's answer – he hadn't even hesitated. "You don't know how many times I nearly asked you." Gabriella felt her heart ache. He had nearly asked her to be his?

"Then why didn't you?!" Gabriella jumped up from her bed and stood in front of Troy, her arms crossed with fire burning in her eyes. "You had plenty of opportunities!"

"How the fuck was I meant to have known you would have said yes?!" Troy retaliated, throwing his hands up in the air. Gabriella stood silently, watching him as tears slowly extinguished the fire in her eyes.

"Did you mean what you said earlier?" She whispered timidly. "When you said that you had loved me?"

Troy stared at her – his fierce eyes holding hers; he took a small step towards her, dropping the forgotten jacket in his hands onto the floor.

"Yes." He said, his eyes never leaving hers. Gabriella bit her lip before catching a tear that was rolling down her cheek.

"Do you…still love me?" Her voice was trembling now. Her watery eyes searched his, but when she found nothing, they shut in pain; tears pouring down her cheeks. Troy remained silent, and she shook her head in despair, letting out a broken sob, before turning to walk away from him – for the second time that day.

But Troy wasn't going to let her, not again.

Reaching out, he enclosed his hand around her dainty wrist and spun her around to face him. Gabriella's eyes were wide with shock, but filled with agony. Staring into her eyes for less than a second, Troy's head swooped down, crashing their lips together. Gabriella was immobilised at the sudden force, but mere seconds later, she was melting into it. Troy let go of her wrist, and her hands slid up his muscular chest, enjoying the feel of him, before she latched her arms tightly around his neck. Troy's arms encircled her tiny waist as she parted her lips, allowing their tongues to finally meet, and tangle together, engaging in a dangerous and urgent dance.

It was better than anything she ever dreamed of. She had been waiting for this kiss for years, and now, it was finally happening.

Gabriella willingly met Troy's brutal pace, reaching up to stand on her tiptoes, so that she could kiss him with more force. Just as she was starting to feel a desirable ache in the pit of her stomach, Troy tore his lips from hers, and Gabriella protested with a soft mewl. She opened her eyes to see Troy staring at her, his eyes so dark now that he looked brutal. Gabriella stood in shocked silence, her fingers tracing her tingling lips. Her knees were so weak, that she fell back to sit on her bed; her eyes never leaving his stormy ones.

"We can't do this." Troy's voice was hoarse and ragged, as he fought for his breath.

"Why not?" Gabriella returned, her voice quiet and uncertain. Why couldn't they? They had been waiting for this for so long – so long that it hurt.

"Because if we do, I'm not gonna be able to stop." Gabriella shivered in desire at his words. That was what she wanted. She wanted _him._

"Then don't." She challenged, reaching forward and grasped the fabric of his basket ball jersey – having not changed since he ran from the gym. She tugged lightly, and Troy cautiously complied, moving slowly so that he was now standing above her sitting position.

"I'll hurt you." He protested reluctantly. Troy knew that she was virgin, and was elated that he could be her first – but should he be? Not under these circumstances, that's for certain. Gabriella closed her eyes in frustration – she didn't care.

"Troy, you'll hurt me if you don't." Her eyes opened to see Troy consider what she said, his eyes flashing with something she couldn't really decipher.

With no warning, Troy's lips were on hers again, and he was leaning her backwards, so that she was lying on the soft mattress. Her slim hands held his face, admiring his strong cheekbones and chiselled jaw. She gasped in delight as Troy's lips trailed open mouthed kisses along her jaw line and down to her neck, where he began to suck harshly on the sensitive skin, determined to mark her for the first time. Gabriella's back arched at the sensation, pressing him closer. Her hands slipped from his face, sliding down his chest and tight stomach, before her slim fingers grasped the hem of his jersey, tugging insistently. Troy understood what she was trying to do, and leaned upwards, allowing her to sweep it up and off in one quick motion. Her hands immediately, explored his bare back, feeling his muscles contract and ripple at her feather like touch.

Needing to feel her lips on his, Troy eased his sucking; nipping lightly before his lips trailed upwards, and met her eager lips. Tongues battled for dominance, as Troy's hands lightly caressed her sides, making Gabriella squirm in delight. His fingers then grasped the t-shirt she was wearing, and pulled it upwards, slowly exposing more of her soft, supple skin. Troy ducked his head, kissing her trembling flat stomach, pressing hot kisses across the bronze skin before he slowly trailed kisses higher, pushing her shirt upwards as he did.

Gabriella moaned as she felt his warm breath on her chest, tangling her fingers in his sweaty hair as Troy began to nip each swell of her breasts. Troy suddenly sat up, dragging Gabriella with him. She squeaked at the sudden movement, but found her lips immediately caught in a languid kiss. She felt Troy pull the t-shirt up, and Gabriella disconnected the kiss to allow him to pull it over her head. She had no time to blush as Troy gazed at her bra-clad chest before she was on her back again, clutching his biceps and kissing him urgently.

Troy's hands were resting in Gabriella's hips but they slowly shifted downwards, playing with the top of her white shorts. Troy pulled away from her and stared in to her eyes that were almost black with fiery passion. Gabriella knew what he was silently asking, and she gently nodded her head, bringing his back down to hers so she could place a reassuring kiss on his swollen lips. Troy's head then returned to its place in the crook of her neck, were he continued to nip at the tender skin. Troy slowly pulled her shorts down, and tossed them somewhere behind him. His burning gaze trailed her legs that had been taunting him the moment Gabriella had answered the door – god, that felt so long ago, but it can't have been more than an hour since he had arrived.

Gabriella mewled in protest at the lack of Troy's intoxicating touch. Troy's gaze snapped back to hers, his eyes wild and he immediately returned to her, pressing kisses around her jaw before capturing her bruised lips in a fiery kiss. Gabriella's eyes welded shut in bliss as she felt Troy reach round and unclasp her bra. She gasped as Troy's lips slowly began to travel away from her lips and down her exposed chest, where he blissfully admired the feel of her silky skin.

Feeling a surge of confidence, Gabriella reached down, and tugged Troy's baggy shorts down his sculpted legs, leaving him in nothing but black boxers, his member straining against the fabric. Gabriella's frantic breathing increased as she felt Troy's fingers toying with the top of her panties. She touched his face softly, lifting it upwards, so she could gaze at him gently, reassuring him. Troy's eyes were slowly returning back to their normal dazzling colour, but his face still looked intent.

Kissing her again, Troy slowly and hesitantly began to pull her panties down, and Gabriella moaned softly at the feeling of Troy's fingers ghosting down her legs. As her panties fell to the floor, Troy's eyes met hers before he opened his mouth to form the first sentence in nearly fifteen minutes.

"Are you sure?" His voice was low and husky, slightly strained. Gabriella took in his cautious face, and nodded her head frantically, pushing all thoughts that were telling her to stop and that this was only going to make matters worse, out of her mind.

"Yes, Troy." Urgency laced her whisper and she reached out for him to pull him to her so that she could tentatively stroke his cheek. "Please." Troy unknowingly leaned into her soft touch before leaning down to press a short, furious kiss to her lips. Shifting, he rolled Gabriella so that she was flat on her back, before he settled his body in between her legs, pushing them out so she could cradle him.

Many frantic kisses and burning caresses later, their bodies joined for the first time; passion and urgency erupted and indescribable sensations enraptured. Fingers intertwined and rested beside Gabriella's head as the young teenagers together sped increasingly closer to their overwhelming climax, their intense gazes remaining locked the entire time.

--

Troy stood at the foot of the bed, fully dressed and gazing at Gabriella's sleeping figure.

He did not just do that. He _can't _have done that – but his tousled hair and swollen lips proved other wise. He _had_ just _slept_ with Gabriella – the Gabriella he had known since he was seven; the Gabriella he thought he hated; the Gabriella that he _loved_ so much.

_How_ could have he just done that? Gabriella was leaving for Australia; a trip they were _both_ meant to go on, but she was going by herself. But Gabriella going alone after what they had just done was going to hurt her. And him.

Troy stood in shaken silence as he watched Gabriella sleeping, a contented smile resting on her lips. Even though her hair was tousled, her makeup smudged and her lips slightly bruised, Troy had never seen anything more beautiful. She was _glowing_. And he couldn't blame her. What they had just done was…indescribable. Amazing. Unbelievable. Magical. Troy felt a huge sensation of euphoria sweeping through his body as he remembered everything that had happened in the last two hours. Having Gabriella, all of her, to himself was just…the best thing in his life; ever. He had dreamed of being with her, not physically but emotionally as well. Troy had felt the love Gabriella had for him as she clung to him tightly, mewling urgently in his ear; and he was so certain that Gabriella had felt his love for her.

But why did this hurt? Troy felt a slight ache in his chest – this wasn't how he wanted their first time to be together. The circumstances were all wrong. They had been arguing for the second time that day, and Troy hadn't even been there to see _her_; he had been there to pick something up for his mom. But deep down, he knew that he could never regret it.

Troy broke his gaze from Gabriella's beautiful face to look at the alarm clock on her bedside table. 6:34 pm. Troy's eyes widened, and knew that he had to leave otherwise his parents will wonder where he was – and it wasn't like he could _tell_ them. Troy's eyes wandered back to Gabriella sadly before he reluctantly turned away from the bed, picking up his mom's jacket and shutting the bedroom door quietly behind him. Troy silently crept down the stairs, missing out the bottom one as he knew it creaked. He shuffled to the kitchen to pick up the dish that had been the only purpose for his visit, and then returned to the front door, opening and closing it as quietly as he could. It was only when he was sat in the front of his truck that he let out a deep breath. Troy dropped his head to the steering wheel in despair, knowing things had just got so much more confusing.

Troy walked into his house ten minutes later, carrying both the dish and his mom's jacket. Troy bypassed the living room, knowing that his dad would be in there, furious about Troy missing practice. He walked into the kitchen to see his mother sitting at the counter reading a magazine.

"Troy! What took you so long?" His mother asked, standing from her place and taking the dish and jacket from Troy's hands.

"What are you doing home so early?" Troy countered, trying to think of a plausible excuse as to why he was so late. "I thought you were working the night shift?"

"Well, that's what I thought. But Maria said she didn't need the help, and that I should just take the night off." Lucille replied. "I thought the dish was blue?" she added in an afterthought, glancing from the dish to Troy's face.

"Well, Gabriella broke the blue one, so she replaced it with this one." He said and Lucille's eyes widened in worry.

"Is she okay? I hope you stayed to help her tidy up." She looked at him pointedly before turning away, missing the slight flush on Troy's cheeks.

"Yeah, Ma. She cut her foot on the shards, but I stayed to help her and then tidied up. Even though I don't like her, I'm not that much of an ass." He said, and Lucille's gaze softened.

"I know, sweetie. Was it weird for you to be there?" She asked, setting the dish down on the counter. Troy averted his eyes from his mother's and looked down at the floor, biting his tongue, knowing that if he wasn't careful, his mother would notice that something was wrong; she always did.

"Yeah, Ma, it was…weird." He answered lamely, before turning away and walking to his room. Lucille's gaze followed him, noticing the subdued look his eyes and she pushed off from the counter to follow him to his room.

Even though Troy wasn't really that close with his parents, Lucille always knew when something was wrong; it was a mother's intellect. Ever since Troy and Gabriella had stopped being friends, Troy distanced himself considerably from his parents; but that never stopped Lucille from trying to talk to him, trying to find out what was wrong.

"Sweetie? Is everything alright?" Lucille knocked lightly on Troy's bedroom door, but received no answer. Sighing, she opened the door to reveal Troy slumped across his bed, throwing a basketball-pillow in the air. "Troy?" she tried again, but Troy remained silent. Lucille sat on the end of the bed, and rubbed a consoling hand on Troy's knee. "Sweetie, talk to me." She spoke softly, almost pleadingly. Troy sighed deeply, and dropped the pillow dejectedly to the side, before sitting up.

"She's still going, Mama." He said. The statement was simple, but Lucille could hear the confusion behind Troy's words.

"Who? Gabriella?" she asked gently, noticing the flash of pain in Troy's features.

"Yeah. She's still going to Australia." Troy said, sighing again before resting his head against his mother's shoulder. It took a moment for Lucille to register what he meant, before it dawned on her.

"Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders; reminded of the times when she used to sit with him, after a bad nightmare, or whenever he was ill. "But, if you two aren't involved with each others lives, why does it matter so much?"

"Because, Mama, it was supposed to be _our_ trip. It's not right for her to go by herself." Troy answered, before shifting so that his head was resting on Lucille's lap. Lucille smiled softly, and gently combed her fingers through his unruly locks.

"Then why don't you go with her?" The question sounded simple, but Lucille knew that it completely opposite.

"I can't – there's so much that needs to be said." Troy lifted one hand, and rubbed it over his tired face. "But every time I see her – it just hurts because…we were so close, Mama – you know that. I don't know what went wrong." Troy's voice broke and he tried his hardest to keep his emotions at bay.

"Oh, sweetie. Things changed. Gabriella went through such a hard time when Antonio died – it's never easy losing a parent." Lucille continued to stroke his hair, but brought her other hand to hold his hand that was resting on his stomach.

"But, I was there for her…wasn't I?" Troy asked shakily, fearing that maybe he had let down Gabriella when she had needed him most. "Right?"

"Troy, you were amazing to her, you really were. Maria always said to me that she was thankful that Gabriella had you, otherwise, who knew what she would have done." Troy sighed slightly and nodded his head as Lucille continued. "But Maria said that Gabriella blocked everybody out. It was like she built a wall around herself, and didn't allow anybody in. We were all really worried about her."

"Is that why she had to see that Doctor?" Troy was slowly piecing things together.

"Mmm. People grieve in different ways, Troy. But Gabriella…she refused to acknowledge that her dad was gone. It wasn't a healthy thing to do. She stopped eating, she stopped talking to people and she gave up on her friends – even the ones she loved." Lucille squeezed his hand gently, before continuing. "Sweetie, don't think she gave up on you in particular – Gabriella just didn't know how to acknowledge the circumstances."

"But I would have helped if she hadn't pushed me away!" Troy protested, sitting up and turning to face his mother, his cerulean eyes shining with unshed tears. "Mama, I could have helped…" Lucille could see that Troy was beating himself up and reached over to pull him back to her, hugging him tightly.

"Hun, it's _not_ your fault. You know that, I know that and I am sure Gabriella would say the same." Troy sighed before nodding his head dejectedly.

"Okay, Ma. Thanks." He said before pulling away. Lucille smiled softly, wiping the stray tear on his cheek, before standing up.

"You okay now? Do you need anything?" she asked gently and Troy shook his head.

"Nah, Mama. I'm okay, just really tired." As if to prove his point, Troy let out a huge yawn. Lucille noticed how tired he actually looked and frowned at him slightly.

"Why _are_ you so tired? You didn't even go to practice today. What have you been doing?" She crossed her arms, looking pointedly at Troy whose cheeks had flushed ever so slightly.

"I – err…didn't get much sleep last night." He replied meekly, hoping his mother bought his lie.

"Hmm." Lucille didn't look convinced, but let it slide. "Okay, I'll leave you to get a few hours sleep, and I'll wake you up when dinner's ready." Troy smiled at his mother, before crawling under the duvet cover of his bed.

"Thanks, Mama." Lucille smiled softly before bending down to press a kiss to his cheek. She then turned and left his room, shutting the door gently behind her.

--

Groaning, Gabriella rolled her body to bury her face in the warm chest that had been beside her for the last hour only to find the chest she had been cuddling, was gone. Frowning when she rolled into an empty space, she slowly opened her eyes, and stretched, but immediately regretted it when she felt her thighs and hips burning. Gabriella lay in confused silence before memories of the last three hours came flooding back to her. She shot up suddenly, clutching the sheets to her nude chest, her eyes wide with horror and her cheeks blushing furiously.

"Oh my…" Gabriella looked around her room in horror, seeing the clothes she had been wearing, thrown in every direction. "Holy _shit_!" She swept her legs over the side of the bed, ignoring the brutal pain in her thighs, and on the bottom of her foot; and wrapt the sheets around her naked body.

Gabriella stood in the middle of her room, shocked and embarrassed; but at the same time, she was elated and giddy. She had slept with Troy. She, Gabriella Montez, had just slept with _him_! Gabriella knew she should be jumping around, squealing with glee, but she couldn't. One, the pain between her thighs was unbearable, and two, even though she _was_ happy – Gabriella couldn't shake the feeling of hurt sweeping through her tired body.

Sleeping with Troy had only added to the swarming maelstrom of confusion and hurt, and Gabriella knew that she couldn't talk to anybody about it – especially Taylor or Sharpay. Refusing to relinquish her hold on the sheets that was wrapped around her naked body, Gabriella shuffled to the en-suite bathroom, hoping that a hot shower will allow her to think more clearly as her mind at the minute, was a flurry of memories that consisted of Troy's lips, his hands, his fingers…

"Stop it, Gabriella!" she hissed to herself as she closed the bathroom door behind her. She turned to stare at her reflection in the mirror, and with a decisive move, she let go of the sheets and they fell to the floor. Gabriella let out an audible gasp as she stared as her naked torso, and her tired eyes grew wide. Love bites, some big and some smaller, were littered across her chest and her stomach. There was one or two on her neck and one, Gabriella noticed, blushing furiously again, on the inside of her left thigh.

With her cheeks still flushed, Gabriella turned to the bath and turned on the taps; a bath would feel so much better than a shower. Pouring in her bubble bath, Gabriella then climbed in and let out a small sigh as she felt the hot water slowly rising up her exhausted body.

Whilst she was soaking, Gabriella tried desperately hard not to think about Troy and the events of the day. That proved to be harder than she thought as every time his face flashed in her mind, Gabriella's whole body tingled deliciously but underneath it all, she could feel her heart aching.

Gabriella knew that she wanted to be with him. She had done ever since she was fifteen, maybe even younger, but now, after what they had just done, Gabriella felt her desire strengthen. She knew that Troy had feelings for her, as he had admitting to being in love with her; but if he _did_ love her, why hadn't he stayed with her after they'd slept together.

Biting her lip when she felt tears threatening to well up, Gabriella distracted herself momentarily as she washed her aching body, hoping to ease the pain in her thighs and hips, and elsewhere that was tender and sore.

Twenty minutes later, Gabriella emerged from the bathroom squeaky clean and feeling a little less sore. Glancing at the clock, Gabriella saw that she had lost nearly four hours of packing time. She picked up the clothes she had been wearing that were distributed all over her room, and placed them in her washing basket. Turning back, she knelt down by her suitcase, and began to fold and stack the remainder of her clothes, and place them neatly into her suitcase.

Gabriella was stopped thirty minutes later by her stomach demanding food. Fairly satisfied with the progress she had made, Gabriella allowed herself to take a well deserved break, and get her dinner. She ambled to the kitchen, walking carefully on the ground, wary that there were still small shards of pottery scattered about. Gabriella pulled open the fridge and pulled out the ingredients for a ham omelette, as it was the simplest thing to make, and began to pile the ingredients into a frying pan.

Five minutes later, Gabriella was sat at the island in the middle of the kitchen. As she sat, she reached over for her book, and began to read whilst she ate; she wanted to keep her mind distracted to prevent it to wondering to a certain blue-eyed boy.

--

Rolling onto his side, Troy blearily opened his eyes and squinted at the flashing red digits of his alarm clock.

4:16 AM.

Groaning, he slumped to his back, and rubbed a hand over his tired eyes as he waited to properly come to. Yawning widely, Troy sat up and leant against his headboard in an attempt to stay awake.

The silence of the house was deafening, but it was peaceful – it allowed him to think. _"Then why don't you go with her?" _Lucille's words echoed through his mind and Troy allowed himself to think about them.

Joining Gabriella now, after what had happened the day before was…he didn't know. On some level it was wrong. They had booked the whole holiday for a fun and relaxing break, but if he went with her, it would be anything but fun and relaxing.

But…

Maybe if he _did_ go, they would be able to talk things through, sort out their problems; fix things between them. Troy thought grimly about the length of the flight. Twenty-two hours on a plane didn't seem that appealing, but it would allow them to talk, and hopefully, it would be long enough for them to fix things. Plus…he _had_ been looking forward to this holiday ever since Gabriella had sprung the idea on him.

Glancing back at the clock, Troy saw that he had exactly one hour before Gabriella left for the airport. He sprung into action; flinging the covers from his body, he leapt from his bed, and made for the wardrobe where he proceeded to grab the entire contents and pile them on his bed. Dropping to his knees, Troy reached under his bed, and pulled out his suitcase, flipping the lid open immediately and throwing the clothes dangerously into it.

--

_BEEP BEEP BEE-_

The alarm clock didn't get to finish the third beep as Gabriella's hand slammed down on the snooze button, effectively shutting it up. Gabriella sat up, yawning but pushed her duvet away from her, and slowly climbed out of bed, testing to see whether the ache in her thighs had eased. To her relief, it was nothing more than a dull throb. Yawning again, Gabriella made for the en-suite, taking in the closed suitcase that was standing proudly at the bottom of her bed, and the carry-on bag next to it. Stripping from her nightwear, Gabriella hopped into the shower, enjoying the feeling of the hot water cascading down her body.

Fifteen minutes later, Gabriella emerged from the bathroom, wearing a pair of skinny jeans, and a baby pink t-shirt. Her wet curls had been pulled into a messy bun, and she had applied very basic make up.

Gabriella picked up her carry-on bag, and emptied the contents onto her bed; passport, ticket, four books, money, cell phone. Satisfied that she hadn't forgotten anything, Gabriella put every item back in – in the order she would need them; something she had learnt from her organised mother.

Tugging on her suitcase, Gabriella pulled it to the top of the stairs where she attempted to pick it up – but the fact that she had packed nearly her entire wardrobe and nine different pairs of shoes, made it impossible for Gabriella to do so. Huffing, she smirked a little before she stood behind it. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her leg, and kicked the stubborn suitcase, watching as it tumbled down the stairs, landing at the bottom with a loud thud. Grinning, Gabriella descended the stairs, and picked up the case so that it was standing. Placing her carry-on on top of it, Gabriella turned and walked to the kitchen where she proceeded to make her breakfast.

--

Rushing around his room, Troy reached the top drawer of his dresser, and fumbled inside frantically before he pulled out the two items he had been searching for. His ticket was tucked securely into his passport – it hadn't been moved since it was first placed there. Troy placed the passport and ticket into his duffle bag, and then went back to the drawer to pull out a small tin labelled '_Emergency Money'_. His mom had given it to him when he turned seventeen – claiming that it was for emergency use only. To Troy, this qualified as an emergency. He flipped open the tin, and grabbed the two credit cards that were in there, along with a small bundle of notes.

With money now in his wallet, Troy zipped up the duffle bag and his suitcase, and carried both out of his room, and through the hallway, as quietly as he could; acutely that his parents were still asleep. Placing them by the front door, Troy then rushed through to the living room, and picked up the notepad and pen that had been abandoned earlier, and began to write a quick note to his parents, knowing full well that he could not just go to Australia and not tell them, even though he was pretty sure his mother would catch on.

_Mom,_

_You were right. Gabriella and I really need to talk, and_

_going with her is the best way to sort things out. We'll have ages_

_to talk things through._

_Thank you for everything, Mom. I love you and I'll_

_see you guys in two weeks._

_Troy x _

Troy re-read his note, before glancing at the clock sitting on the mantle. 5:37 AM

"Shit!" He hissed before running through the front door, before unlocking his truck, and flinging his suitcase and duffle bag into the back. Throwing the truck into reverse, Troy tore from the driveway and sped down the street.

--

_**Welcome to Albuquerque Airport**_

The sign greeted Gabriella as she walked through the revolving doors to the airport, weaving through the thick crowds of people despite the unusual time of the day. Stopping in front of the flight board, Gabriella searched the information for her flight details, and was relieved to see that the check-in desk was already open.

"Passport and boarding card please?" A young woman sat behind the desk, her face friendly although her tone was slightly bored. Smiling, she accepted Gabriella's passport and boarding card, and referring the details on her computer screen. "Is there anyone else joining you? It says here that there is one more person booked with your name; are they meeting you here?" Gabriella's small smile faltered slightly.

"Uh…no. It's just me. I don't think he is going to join me." Gabriella said, averting her gaze from the woman's curious eyes. "You can give the seat to someone else, if you like. I don't mind."

"Oh, the flight is already booked so that won't be necessary. However, we will keep the seat open, just in case." The woman replied, and Gabriella nodded her head. "How many bags are you checking in?"

"Just one." Gabriella replied and with difficulty, she picked up her lone suitcase and flung it onto the belt. She watched as the woman attached a label onto the suitcase before it was carried out of sight.

"Okay, Miss Montez. Your flight is at eight-thirty, and you'll be boarding from gate twenty-seven. Have a lovely flight." The woman handed back the passport and boarding card.

"Thank you." Gabriella smiled before picking up her carry-on and turning away, making her way to passport control.

An hour or so later later, Gabriella was sat at a café right by her boarding gate, drinking a hot chocolate. Glancing down at her watch, Gabriella was relieved to see that she would be able to board the plane any minute. Finishing her drink, Gabriella stood and walked to her gate, pulling out her boarding card and passport as she did. Just as she reached the gate, an announcement crackled on the telecom speaker.

"_Flight ALQ-Y4XL to Sydney is now boarding from gate twenty-seven."_

Gabriella sighed in relief as she joined the slowly forming queue. Minutes later, she walked through the barrier onto the walkway that led to the plane, unable to shake the feeling of sadness that was forming in her body as she reluctantly realised that Troy was not coming.

"Welcome aboard the plane, Miss." An air stewardess smiled brightly as Gabriella stepped onto the plane.

"Thanks." Gabriella mumbled before walking down the aisle to her assigned seat. At seeing the empty seat next to hers, she felt a pang of hurt but tried to ignore it as she slid into the window seat, setting her bag under the chair in front of her. Shivering at the coldness of the air-conditioning, Gabriella pulled out her fleece from her bag, and pulled it on. Shifting, she buckled her seatbelt and leant her head against the side; her eyes suddenly beginning to feel heavy. Allowing her eyes to close, Gabriella was still aware of her surroundings. She listened to the constant movement of passengers, the over-head lockers being slammed shut, the air stewardesses greeting more passengers as they continued to stream in. After ten minutes of waiting, Gabriella felt somebody slump into the chair next to her, but didn't even crack an eyelid. _Who cares? _She thought, shifting a tiny bit. _I told them they could give the seat away, I don't ca – _

"I thought we agreed that I could have the window seat?" His voice broke her thoughts and Gabriella whipped round and gasped audibly. Her tired russet eyes locked on his piercing blue ones before she blinked dumbly.

"Err – I – um…what the _hell_ are you doing here?" she finally asked, unable to keep the incredulity from her voice.

"Well, eight months ago –"

"Don't be a smartass, Bolton. Why are you here?" Gabriella hissed, and Troy's grin disappeared, his face turning serious.

"We need to talk."

"And you couldn't wait until _after_ I got back?"

"No. We need to talk _now_ and plus, I'm here to come with you. Like I promised I would." Troy said, his eyes shining with sincerity.

"Troy, I get that we need to talk, but things between us are so screwed up. Even if we do talk, things are still gonna be –"

"I thought the first time I'd hear you say you loved me would be one of the best moments in my entire life, but it _hurt _like nothing I have ever felt before." Troy paused to stare her in the eyes, seeing sadness and guilt staring back at him. Taking a deep breath, he continued. "I want to make things right between us again, Gabriella. I know I am a jerk for leaving you yesterday, but I needed to think."

"About what?" Tears shimmered on Gabriella's eyelashes, one lone tear escaping to roll down her cheek.

"I needed to think of ways to get you back. And this was the best way I could think of." Troy replied before falling silent, timidly waiting for Gabriella's reaction. They both sat in silence; Gabriella slowly taking in what Troy had said, her mouth opening and closing as if she was going to say something.

Minutes passed and Gabriella still hadn't spoken. The tears that had been rolling down her cheeks and stopped, leaving glistening trials over the soft skin.

"Gabriella?" Troy asked warily. "Are you planning on speaking any time soon?"

"I – uh…I –" Gabriella swallowed heavily, before lifting her eyes back to Troy's apprehensive ones. "You want me back?" She finally whispered, her eyes shining with confusion and incredulity. Troy blinked at the blatant question, although slightly relieved that Gabriella had finally spoken.

"Yeah, I do." Troy answered confidently. "But only if you'll have me." He added, reaching forward to carefully clasp her hand. Gabriella stared at their linked hands for a minute, before returning her gaze to Troy's nervous face. Her lips slowly broke out into a smile, and without warning, she lurched her body towards Troy's, her lips crashing against his in a passionate and thankful kiss. Troy's arms went about her, supporting the awkward angle of her lunge as Gabriella's arms latched onto his shoulders, pouring everything she felt for him into that kiss.

Breaking the kiss a minute or two later, Troy pulled Gabriella's arms off of his shoulders, and gently forced her body back, so that he could he could look at her.

"Does that mean you'll have me?" he asked, trying to catch his breath. "I love you, Gabriella – and I know that I have been an ass to you, and I know that I should've said something before otherwise none of this would've happened and –"

Gabriella cut him off the only way she could think of, leaning forwards again to press a chaste kiss to his lips. She pulled back after a moment, her eyes shining and a radiant smile playing on her lips.

"Can I talk now?" she asked teasingly and Troy nodded, his mouth snapping shut as he did. Taking a deep breath, Gabriella picked up Troy's left hand, her thumb stroking over the faint scar that had been caused by her compass years ago. "First of all, I love you too." She watched as a relieved smile appeared on Troy's lips. "And yeah, you have been an ass, but you're not the only one to blame. I've been just as bad, Troy – and I am really sorry." She lifted her finger to silence Troy as he opened his mouth to say something. "Let me finish – and even though we have got _loads_ to talk about, I forgive you and…want you back in my life."

"Really?" Troy breathed, his lips breaking out into a dazzling smile.

"Really." Gabriella nodded her head, her smile just as bright. Grinning, Troy leant down and captured her lips once more for a tender kiss, his free hand coming to rest on the back of her neck. Gabriella broke the kiss moments later, her face a little more serious.

"It's not just this simple though, Troy. We're still gonna have to talk things through." She murmured, and Troy nodded his head.

"I know, and we will. I promise." He linked their hands together before continuing. "It's just that…I couldn't let you leave thinking that I didn't care or that I hated you – I was planning on waiting for you to come back and then telling you…but then after what we did yesterday," he grinned as Gabriella blushed prettily, "I couldn't let you leave without knowing that I really _do_ love you –" Troy was cut off once more as Gabriella kissed him softly.

"Troy, I get it – I get _you_. After yesterday, I didn't want to come here because it didn't feel right without you here – but I never actually thought you were gonna come after me."

"Well, if you were anybody but you – I don't think I would've." Troy's response caused Gabriella to smile softly. She unfastened her belt and pushed up the arm rest that was between them to wrap her arms around Troy's torso, hugging him tightly.

"I love you, Wildcat." Her words were spoken into Troy's chest, but Troy heard every word. He grinned, knowing that he would never tire of hearing those words, and gently tipped Gabriella's chin so that her head was tilted upwards towards his.

"I know, and I love you too." He leant down and pressed a long and heartfelt kiss against Gabriella's soft lips before he slowly ran his tongue across her bottom lip. Shifting slightly so that she could place a small hand on his cheek, Gabriella parted her lips to allow their tongues to engage in a slow and gentle dance.

"_Attention, passengers. Welcome to Flight ALQ – Y4XL from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Sydney, Australia. We will be initiating take-off in a few moments so please ensure that your seat belts are on and you are aware of all emergency procedures. Enjoy your flight, folks."_

Troy and Gabriella pulled away breathlessly, wearing identical expressions. Gabriella shifted back to her seat, and refastened her seatbelt. Once she was settled, Troy picked up her right hand and linked their fingers together.

Despite her happiness, Gabriella couldn't fight the tiredness, and she slumped her head back against the side of the plane. Troy misinterpreted her move, and squeezed her hand in comfort.

"You okay?" The concern in his voice caused Gabriella to lift her head and meet his worried gaze.

"Mmm. I'm fine," She paused as a yawn broke through, "just really tired." Troy grinned before pulling her body closer to his, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, allowing Gabriella to snuggle into the warmth of his body. "This is how I should've woken up yesterday." She murmured after a couple of minutes of silence. She sighed gently as the plane began to move, slowly making its way to the runway.

"What do you mean?" Troy asked, watching as the air stewards strapped themselves in at the front of the plane.

"Mmm. After we…you know…" Gabriella blushed as memories of the day before flashed through her mind, "I woke up and you were gone. I missed out on the cuddle afterwards." She finished, yawning again.

"Well, we did cuddle, you were just too out of it to realise. It was hard leaving you after I woke up though." Troy heard Gabriella make a small sound of indignation.

"Then you should have stayed." Troy sighed and pulled her closer to his side, his free arm coming round her front and resting on her hip.

"I couldn't. My parents were expecting me home; and like I said before – I needed to think."

Gabriella huffed good-naturedly, but groaned when she heard the engine of the plane roar before the plane sped down the clear runway, gaining more and more speed before it gracefully rose into the air, leaving Albuquerque behind them. Gabriella turned her head to look out of the tiny window, a small smile gracing her lips as she watched Albuquerque become smaller and smaller.

"Mmm. So pretty." She yawned again, before resting her head back on Troy's shoulder.

"Not as pretty as you." Gabriella blushed lightly as Troy's whisper, and she lifted her head to roll her eyes at him.

"You're so corny." She murmured before kissing his jaw affectionately.

"Yeah, but you know you love it." Giggling at Troy's swift response, Gabriella accepted the soft kiss Troy dropped on her lips, before sighing blissfully.

"I hope that was a happy sigh." Troy remarked gently, rubbing his hand up and down Gabriella's arm, grinning when he felt her shiver in approval.

"Mmm hmm. It was a very happy sigh." At hearing her soft reply, Troy grinned again before leaning down to nuzzle her soft cheek with his nose.

"I love you." He breathed into her ear, and Gabriella made a soft moan of acknowledgement. Troy continued to nuzzle her cheek, pressing soft kisses to the soft skin; causing Gabriella's breath to hitch before it slowed, falling quickly into the familiar rhythm of sleep as exhaustion overwhelmed her body.

--

Troy was roused from his peaceful doze by the feeling of Gabriella shifting next to him.

"Troy?"

"Hmmm?"

"Can you get up?" Troy groaned before shaking his head, capturing the finger that was poking him in the arm.

"Nah uh." Gabriella giggled softly in his ear, and Troy reluctantly opened one eyelid. "What do you want, Montez?" Gabriella smiled innocently, biting her bottom lip.

"I need the loo." She admitted, batting her eyelashes in a way Troy couldn't resist.

"Ugh. Fine." He groaned again, before standing up to let Gabriella into the aisle of the plane.

"Thank you, Wildcat." She said softly, smiling cheekily before turning and walking down the narrow aisle.

Troy sat down in Gabriella's seat, waiting patiently for her to return. Once again, Troy felt his eyelids become heavy, and he allowed them to close, tilting his head to rest against the back of his chair. He didn't feel Gabriella slip into the chair next him and he missed the adoring smile cross her lips as she watched him sleep. Gabriella reached over and stroked his hair, pushing his bangs out of his eyes, before gently trailing her fingertips down one side of his cheek and over his slightly parted lips.

"You're such a dork." She murmured lovingly, and her eyes widened as Troy's sleepy blues fluttered open.

"I heard that." He turned his heavy head towards Gabriella who was smiling impishly, her eyes dancing with cheek.

"You know I'm only teasing." She cooed softly, shuffling closer to him to press a kiss to his cheek."

"Hmm." Troy murmured, before yawning. "Sorry, I'm just so tired." His sleepy eyes struggled to stay open; Gabriella gently caresses lulling him to sleep.

"Then sleep." She whispered back, smiling softly as Troy shook his head.

"Noo…" he protested, "I wanna spend as much time with you as I can – I've got loads of time to make up for…"

"I'll still be here when you wake up." Gabriella sighed again as Troy shook his head stubbornly. "Troy." The warning in her tone caused Troy to sigh in defeat.

"Even if I try, I can't sleep on planes. It's so uncomfortable." He muttered, shifting again as if to prove his point.

"You can rest your head on my lap if you want." Gabriella suggested softly before Troy sent her an amused look.

"I won't fit."

"Yes you will. These chairs are bigger than normal, Troy. Come here," she tugged on his hand and Troy surrendered, bringing his legs up, and curling them close before shifting awkwardly into a laying position, resting his head on Gabriella's lap. Gabriella was right; there was more room than normal.

"Thank you, babe." Troy lifted Gabriella's hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. He opened his bleary eyes to look up at her, noticing a slightly surprised look on her features and Troy's brow furrowed in confusion. "What?"

"Nothing." She replied, smiling radiantly. "I've always wanted you to call me that." Her cheeks blushed prettily and Troy grinned lazily.

"You're mine now." He leaned up awkwardly in search of her lips, and Gabriella met him halfway. Their lips met in a lazy kiss, their tongues meeting for the briefest of moments before Gabriella pulled away, not allowing Troy to deepen the kiss any more.

"I know what you're trying to do, Bolton. Now sleep." She giggled as Troy grinned before resting his head back on her lap. His whole body turned sideways, and Troy nuzzled his face into Gabriella's stomach, sighing contentedly. Gabriella smiled affectionately, stroking her fingers through his sandy locks.

"Love you, Troy." She whispered, and a small smile formed on Troy's lips before he yawned again, his breathing slowly evening out, and Gabriella assumed he finally fell asleep. Sighing softly, she reached over and picked up her book that she had been reading before, and opened it at her current page before continuing to read, one hand holding the book, and the other resting on Troy's back.

This is where they were meant to be; together, at last. After everything they had been through, the tears, the fighting, the suffering, everything, Gabriella couldn't help but feel that this moment made up for it all – every thing was perfect. Troy was finally hers, and she was his, and they were going on an adventure together, starting again – loving each other the way they had dreamed about; being able to kiss and touch each other the way they had always craved.

Everything was finally coming together, and Troy and Gabriella both knew that things could and will only get better.

_Fin._

**Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god!! I finished it!! Aghh! Ok, I am actually really please with out this one turned out. I've been writing this for about a month now, and I am so proud that it is finished! **

**I know that it is longer than any one of my one-shots – in all I wrote 22 pages in size 8.5 writing and the total word count is 17,451! I know it probably would've been better to make it into a two-shot, but I couldn't think of the right place to divide it into separate chapters, but oh well. **

**Please, please review – it would mean SO much to me. I love this story to bits, and I am trying to improve my writing style, because I am only 15, and pretty soon, I have got an English Creative Writing GCSE, and I want to be prepared – but that's not really the reason why I wrote this story.**

**Thank you guys for all of your support on my other stories – you have no idea how much they make me smile. I apologise for any incorrect grammar and all of that, but I don't have a beta, so it's just me editing, and I know I have probably missed out on a couple of things, so forgive me! **

**Thanks again! I am REALLY looking forward to reading what y'all think! PLEASE REVIEW! **

**x x x **


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